The Calm Before the Storm
by Shirley Ann Burton
Summary: In this prelude to The Magic Force Moon Crystal Reunion, Sailor Saturn visits both Raye Hino and Ace Cooper and gives them a dire warning...


The Calm Before the Storm   
By: Shirley Ann Burton

**This is a no-brainer:**   
**_The Magician_, and all other related material, is copyrighted by Gaumont Multimédia. _Sailor Moon_, and all other related material there, is copyrighted by Toei Animation and Naoko Takeuchi. Original characters are mine, blah, blah, blah…you know this part. This story takes place _before_ "The Magic Force Moon Crystal Reunion" and _after_ the fourth season of Sailor Moon (a.k.a. _Sailor Moon SS_). All Sailor Moon references will be in English with the exceptions of Queen Nephrenia (from _Sailor Moon SS_), Haruka Tenoh (Sailor Uranus), and Michiru Kaioh (Sailor Neptune).**

Sleeping soundly in her room at the Cherry Hill Temple in Tokyo, Japan, a teenage young woman was very happy that her part of the world was at peace again. She and her friends had to stop an evil queen named Nephrenia from taking all the dreams of people around the world. Raye Hino finally felt she could relax and never have to worry about being a Sailor Scout again.   
However, Raye's inert psychic ability alerted her to some kind of presence nearby, but she could not tell whether it was evil. She started moving around all over her bed, feeling more uncomfortable by the minute.   
_In her mind, she noticed that the landscape around her was **not** Tokyo at all. "What…is this place? Our future? What's going on?"_   
_ "Sailor Mars," said a level female voice. "I must speak with you right away."_   
_ "Who knows who I am?"_   
_ Suddenly, a young woman with her own sailor uniform appeared behind Raye, sporting a violet mini-skirt, amethyst-jeweled tiara, and knee-high violet boots. She was holding a strange weapon in her hands, something shaped with a "G". Amazingly, she was a foot **smaller** than Raye. "Sailor Mars?"_   
_ Raye turned around and noticed. "Sailor…Saturn? What are you doing here?"_   
_ "I've come to warn you, Sailor Mars. There is a new danger approaching the Earth. However, there is a problem. Tokyo will **not** be the center of this new threat."_   
_ "Then, where will it be?"_   
_ "It will be in a place unfamiliar to you but very familiar to a friend you and the others met a couple of years ago."_   
_ "What do you mean? I don't understand."_   
_ "It is his home that will be threatened."_   
_ Raye wanted to keep asking questions. "Whose home will be threatened? Darien's or—"_   
_ "No. Think of magic. Who do you know who can do magic and is far stronger than all of you?"_   
_ "The only one I know of is…Ace Cooper the Magician! His home will be in danger?"_   
_ Sailor Saturn nodded sadly. "Yes. Electro City, California, will be where the danger takes place. We are trying to determine what the source is, but it is shielded somehow."_   
_ "But…how in the world are we going to get to Electro City from here? We don't have the money to afford such a trip."_   
_ "That will be determined by the intelligence of…Sailor Mercury."_   
_ "Amy? She's going to be the one who could get us there? How?"_   
_ "Just trust me, Sailor Mars. Only you and Ace Cooper himself will know about this situation. The rest is up to Sailor Mercury."_   
_ Raye sighed and realized there was nothing else she could do. "Okay, if you say so."_   
_ "Have faith in her intelligence. I believe she can do her part. For now, though, do not say anything to anyone else, including the other Sailors. I fear telling them will create some kind of panic among them, especially Sailor Moon. No offense."_   
_ "I'm used to it by now. Thank you for your…warning, Sailor Saturn. I'll just have to trust Amy for now."_   
_ "Now, I must be on my way to meet with Ace Cooper." The diminuitive Scout vanished into thin air._   
Raye suddenly awakened with a jolt. "Ace Cooper's home is in danger, but there isn't much I can do about it, can I?" She then went back to sleep, but she could not stop thinking about the vision with Sailor Saturn. 

Across the Pacific Ocean, in Electro City, California, the four main residents of a rather unusual mobile home were sleeping soundly in the middle of the night, the night before (due to a time difference of approximately 18 hours).   
In his room, Ace Cooper the Magician calmly thought ahead to his next show with his two apprentices, Cosmo and Angela Jacobs. _They know how to add depth to a show. Angie's work with Zina has really made the difference in preparing for tomorrow's performance. Also, her idea to add musical accompaniment was perfect. Nothing could possibly go wrong with it._   
Zina, his pet black panther, slept near the footboard.   
His sleep cycle was suddenly disrupted, though, when he started hearing a voice in his mind…a voice that did _not_ belong to his friend Angie, who shared a psychic bond with him.   
_Ace…Ace Cooper…_   
"Wha…what's going on?"   
_Awaken, Ace Cooper, please. I must speak with you…_   
Zina awakened with a jolt and suddenly growled when noticing something standing in front of her with a huge sharp object.   
"What's wrong, Zina, I—" The Magician gasped when he noticed an apparition standing in front of Zina. "Who…are you?"   
He rubbed his eyes to make his vision clearer. Although his eyesight was still slightly blurry, he noticed a sailor uniform. "Wait…_Sailor Moon?_"   
As soon as his vision cleared, he noticed the purple highlights in her hair, the large weapon in her hands, and her shorter stature. "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were Sailor Moon."   
Zina kept growling at the ghost.   
"Zina, stop. I don't think she's working for Faceless. In fact, I think she's projecting herself."   
The apparition looked straight at Ace. "Ah, you understand that I am not really here."   
"No, but for a minute you looked like Sailor Moon to me, but then you're shorter, and your hair is much darker."   
"You do know Sailor Moon, then."   
"Yes, I do. I met her and her friends about three years ago. But tell me, if you're not Sailor Moon, who are you?"   
She closed her eyes and said, "I am Sailor Saturn…Sailor Scout of Destruction."   
"You are a Sailor Scout yourself? I thought there were only five of them."   
"Our numbers have doubled since you last saw them. However, I came here to warn you, Ace Cooper. There is a new danger heading towards Earth…and I fear Electro City will be at the epicenter of this threat."   
Ace's eyes widened with grave concern. "Please, tell me what I can do to help."   
"Your only hope is for Sailor Moon and the others to come here and assist you, as you came to assist them before in Japan."   
"How? They can't afford that kind of trip. Maybe I can pay for their way here."   
"No. The Scouts' coming here is all in the hands of Sailor Mercury."   
"Amy. She is the most intelligent one by far. But I don't—"   
"Please, you must trust me. Have faith in Sailor Mercury's intelligence. For now, please do not tell anyone of this warning or your seeing me here."   
"That won't be a problem with Cosmo, but it may be hard keeping it from Angie."   
"Your friend Angela Jacobs…who also possesses the power of the Magic Force. You share a special bond with her."   
"Yes. Do you know about her—"   
"Recent emotional breakdown? Yes, I do. The poor child, burying all the anger in her soul for fear she would lose her friends, and then the explosion of rage. How is she doing?"   
"Much better. I only wish there were something more I can do."   
"Do not worry. Sailor Mercury will be the key to getting the Scouts here to Electro City."   
"Thank you, Sailor Saturn. I will not take your warning lightly."   
"I appreciate that, Ace Cooper. Now, I will let you return to your sleep so that you can be ready for your performance tomorrow night." The apparition soon disappeared.   
Ace and Zina soon returned to sleep, but he wondered about Sailor Saturn's warning… 

The next day, Ace and his friends rehearsed at the Sinsun Hotel, where his performance was going to be later that evening.   
Ace tried his best to hide his concern about the warning, but Angie, emotionally sensitive, was easily aware something was not right.   
"Ace…Ace," said Angie, who noticed him staring out into the empty auditorium. _Ace, what's going on?_   
"Huh? Oh, um, nothing. I'm just…out of it a little."   
"Come on, Ace. I've known you long enough I can tell something's wrong. Can't you please tell me?"   
He sighed and looked at her. "If I tell you, will you promise not to tell anyone else, period?"   
"Of course. I promise." She crossed her heart to make it official.   
"I'm going to telepathically send you something I saw last night. That will explain everything. Give me your hands."   
The two magicians felt their minds merging as Ace sent his images into Angie's mind.   
"Sailor…Saturn?" she whispered. "A…warning…Electro City in the center. I understand."   
Ace opened his eyes. "Now, I'm going to hold you to that promise not to say anything."   
"You have my word as a fellow magician." _And as one who shares the Magic Force._   
"Thanks, Angie. I'm glad you understand the delicacy of this mess."   
Just then, spike-haired Cosmo ran into the auditorium area and met his friends. "Guys…bad…news…"   
Angie patted him and said, "Take it easy, Cosmo. Tell us, what's the bad news?"   
"The pianist and violinist you hired for tonight's show. Both of them came down with food poisoning last night, and they're sick."   
"Oh, great, where are we going to get two performers on such short notice?"   
"I don't know," answered Ace. "We've got to find replacements and fast."   
"But…where? Maybe I can go riding around on the Bike."   
"You've got the better musical ear, Angie. Go."   
"On my way." She quickly took off on the Magic Bike to see if she could quickly find replacement musicians for the act that evening.   
She went frantically searching everywhere until she noticed a pair performing in Keaton Park. The music she heard was very melodious in her ears. "That's it…that's the sound needed for tonight."   
Angie approached the park and found the performers. On the white grand piano was a young man wearing a red t-shirt and white slacks. His short blonde hair made it easier for him to see the notes on the music sheets. Playing the violin so beautifully was a young woman with unusual teal-colored hair which flowed in the comfortable breeze. Her outfit consisted of a light blue blouse and light green long skirt.   
After playing their hearts out, the female magician applauded their exhibition. "That was beautiful."   
"Why thank you," responded the young woman. "I guess you have an ear for music."   
"All kinds. I'll take almost anything…the exceptions being the hardcore rap and seriously heavy metal."   
"I agree. Both those styles tend to be a bit degrading to women and promote violence. However…I don't think you came here just to admire the music."   
Angie confessed, "You're right. I'm Angela Jacobs, a performing stage magician here in Electro City. Actually, I'm more of a training magician. My mentor is Ace Cooper the Magician."   
"You mean _the_ Ace Cooper?"   
"Yeah, that's right. Now, here's the situation: We're supposed to perform tonight to the accompaniment of violin and piano. Unfortunately, the two musicians I hired both suffered food poisoning last night and can't make it. I know this is sorta last minute, but please, could you possibly take their place? We can't do the show without the music."   
"Can I talk it over with my friend?"   
"Of course."   
She came over to her blonde-headed partner. "What do you think?"   
The partner whispered back, "I think she knows the truth, but that's expected because of her sensitivity to Mr. Cooper's thoughts. We have to double-check and make sure. Besides, it'll be nice in the air-conditioned hotel."   
"Then it's settled." Walking back to Angie, the young woman smiled. "We accept your offer. We'll help you with the performance."   
Angie breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Thank you. You don't know how much this will mean to me and the others."   
"Well, Angie, I hope we can be of good help to you. My name is Michiru Kaioh, and this is my friend Haruka Tenoh."   
"You're both from Japan, aren't you?"   
Haruka, the blonde, walked up and said, "That's right, we are."   
Angie was shocked at Haruka's voice. "You mean you're a…female? Oh, dear, I thought you were a guy."   
"Don't worry," she laughed. "When most people see me for the first time, it's not a surprise that they think I'm a man. I'm a woman, though. I'm more of a tomboy."   
"Nothing wrong with that. Would you two come with me to the Sinsun Hotel to meet my friends and go through a test run?"   
"We'd love to," Michiru answered happily. "We're visiting here for the first time."   
"Vacation?"   
"Um, yes. We're on vacation. We've seen some sights already, but not the best ones."   
"If rehearsal goes the way it does, we'll have lunch inside the Magic Express."   
"The Magic Express," said Haruka. "Is that a restaurant?"   
"Nope. It's Ace Cooper's mobile home…his version of a recreational vehicle. It's parked right next door to the Sinsun."   
"Oh, sure. We'll follow you, then."   
Haruka and Michiru then walked to Haruka's sportscar and took off behind Angie on the Magic Bike.   
Less than 20 minutes later, all three ladies arrived at the Sinsun Hotel. Angie returned the Bike to the garage while Haruka parked the car next to the Express.   
Angie went back on stage there and said, "Guys, we have our musicians for tonight."   
Ace and Cosmo looked at each other but in no real surprise.   
"That's great," said Ace. "Can we meet them?"   
Motioning for them to come on stage, Angie made proper introductions. "Ace, Cosmo, Zina…I'd like you to meet Michiru Tenoh and Haruka Kaioh."   
Michiru laughed. "No, Angie. I'm Michiru _Kaioh_ and he's Haruka _Tenoh_." She winked at Angie.   
Angie nodded. "Oops, sorry. I'd better get those names right for tonight."   
Ace said, "Mr. Tenoh, Miss Kaioh."   
Haruka laughed as she shook hands with Ace. "A pleasure to meet you, sir."   
"Wait," Ace noted in surprise, "you mean you're a…woman?"   
"Yes, sir. I am the true-to-form tomboy. When people meet me, they automatically think I'm a man."   
"Wow, _Miss_ Tenoh. You sure caught us off-guard."   
Cosmo shook his head but agreed. "No kidding, dude—I mean, dudette. Anyway, we'd like to go through a test run with you, if that's all right."   
"That's fine. I think we need to do a little fine-tuning ourselves anyhow, right, Michiru?"   
"Sure. Just point us to the music sheets."   
Cosmo directed both young ladies to their instruments. "We had musicians, but they both got really sick last night. This is the music we're going to use. I'll head up to the control room and test out the reverberating effects."   
Going through a ten-minute test, Ace was very satisfied with the sound. "Miss Tenoh, Miss Kaioh, you both get the job. I think you're _better_ than the pair we originally hired."   
The two young ladies smiled at each other. "Thank you," they said.   
"Now, according to my watch, it's time for lunch. Angie, do you have room for two more?"   
"Ace, you know I always have room for at least four more. We're having vegetable salad and fried beef strips with rice, if you two want to join us."   
"Salad is my specialty," said Haruka happily. "And Michiru's favorite food is meat strips."   
"Good. It should be completely done by now, so let's eat."   
They went into Ace's home, where the two visitors were impressed.   
"Wow," said Michiru, "now _this_ is what I call a mobile home. I like this place already."   
"Oh, that's nothin', Michiru," Cosmo noted. "We also have a special computer system named Angel."   
A holographic dodecahedron with pink and purple highlights suddenly appeared. "Hello, visitors."   
"H-hi," said Haruka with rousing curiosity. "Is this the whole system?"   
Ace simply answered, "Oh, no. We have an entire computer room at the far end of the Express. It's also our security system to keep out intruders and snoopers who want to know our secrets."   
"Ah, the Magician's Creed: Never reveal secrets. Don't worry, Mr. Cooper, we're not after secrets. We just want to help you with the show this evening."   
"Thank you, Miss Tenoh."   
"Please, just call us Haruka and Michiru. That may help Angie not to get our names confused."   
"She's right, Ace," said Angie. "I have to get Haruka Tenoh and Michiru Kaioh right."   
"Hey, Angie, you'd have more confusion if our friend Setsuna Meioh were around with us."   
"No more, Haruka. My brain's gonna collapse with all these names."   
"Okay, okay. Now let's get to lunch. I'm starving."   
Soon, everyone started enjoying Angie's homemade cooking.   
Michiru started a new conversation. "Angie, do you like to cook all the time?"   
"You bet. I love to cook. It's something I learned from my mother."   
"It must be great being able to cook some great dishes for your friends."   
"Absolutely," said Cosmo with food in his mouth. After he swallowed carefully he added, "Before Angie came along, Ace and I just about never knew anything about homemade cooking. So, what brings two people from Japan here?"   
"Well…we're exchange students on our way to…Phoenix, Arizona. We wanted to drive through the Southwestern desert before we got there, though."   
While they were talking, Haruka closely examined the group living in the Magic Express. She wondered if Ace and the others could face a tremendous challenge. _I wonder if the Magician knows we're actually on a mission for Sailor Saturn. Judging by things so far around here, I have a feeling we're with the best group to join forces with the Moon Princess. She was right about Ace Cooper. His magic is powerful enough, but he must join forces with Sailor Moon to succeed._   
The moment everyone completed lunch, Angie and Michiru cleaned the dishes, and then they all went back into the Sinsun Hotel for a final rehearsal.   
With only three hours before the show, Ace was very pleased with the results. "All right, everything's a go for tonight. We'll relax for an hour, eat dinner, and then have everything ready to go. Haruka, make sure your piano is as fine-tuned as possible. Michiru, make certain your violin is stringed at its very best."   
"We understand, Mr. Cooper," said Michiru. "We'll be ready on our end."   
Come 7 p.m., it was time for Ace and his friends to perform.   
First, Angie came to the stage to make an announcement. "Ladies and gentlemen, the musicians who were supposed to perform this evening suffered a case of food poisoning and are unable to be here. However, we did find two very talented replacements on such short notice. To perform the various works of Beethoven for our show tonight will be Haruka _Tenoh_ on piano and Michiru _Kaioh_ on violin. Please give them a round of applause."   
As the curtain rose, Haruka said, "Hey, Angie got our names right!"   
"She should have," Michiru joked. "She softly kept repeating our names so she wouldn't mess up."   
Throughout the performance, Angie did her part of the act by creating heartfelt magic while following the music, particularly the Moonlight Sonata and the famous Fifth Symphony.   
In the grand finale trick, Ace and Angie created dancing balls of fire for Zina to jump through while Haruka and Michiru did their rendition of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.   
When the trick ended, the audience gave them all a standing ovation for a wonderful performance that evening.   
Ace then went to the front of the stage. "We could not have achieved this show tonight if not for the tremendous musical talents of Haruka Tenoh and Michiru Kaioh. If anyone deserves a round of applause, these two most certainly are the ones."   
Haruka and Michiru took a bow as the audience started throwing flowers at them.   
After the audience left, the Sinsun's owner, Sonny Boy Surge, came up to the group. "I gotta hand it to ya, Cooper. These two musicians sounded a lot better than the pair you originally had. It's like they're a perfect tandem to each other."   
"Thank Angie for finding them so fast earlier today. It's almost like fate brought them here." He suddenly remembered Sailor Saturn's warning. _Fate? I wonder if those two were…_   
"Well, I'd like to thank them in person. Where are they?"   
"They should be in the dressing room," said Angie. "I'll go get 'em."   
When she got there, however, she noticed that everything the two young ladies brought with them were gone…and so were they. "Hey? Haruka, Michiru? Where are you?" She then ran outside and noticed the sportscar was also gone. "Did they get kidnapped in their own car or something?"   
She then noticed a note on the front door of the Magic Express. The note had this message:   
_Dear Mr. Cooper and Angela,_   
_ Please donate our salary from tonight's performance to a worthy charity. We apologize for not being able to stay, but we are needed elsewhere. We were on a mission for Sailor Saturn to see if in fact Electro City would be the center of a dangerous threat. We now are convinced that is the case. Only the two of you here and Raye Hino in Tokyo know about this situation, and for now, it is best not to tell anyone else, including those closest to you. The rest now…is in Sailor Mercury's hands, or should we say, brains. It will be up to her to get the Sailor Scouts here to Electro City to assist you. Your powers and theirs could be Earth's only hope._   
_Good luck,_   
_Haruka and Michiru_   
"The warning Ace received from Sailor Saturn…" She decided to hide the message in her pocket and ran back into the theater.   
Sonny Boy looked at Angie and asked, "Where are they?"   
"They already left. The sportscar is gone, too. It's like they accomplished what they wanted and then left. They left a message saying to donate their salary for tonight to a worthy charity." _Ace, there's also something else in this message, but I have to discuss it with you…**alone**._   
_ I understand, Angie,_ he thought back. "Oh, well, I know the St. John's Orphanage needs the money. Come on, guys, let's get the Express back home."   
Ace and his friends went back into the recreational vehicle, which soon returned to its normal resting place near the Grand Canal.   
After Cosmo went to sleep, Ace and Angie went into the living room with Zina slithering behind them.   
"I guess Zina already knows, too?" Angie asked curiously.   
"She does. After all, she and I both saw Sailor Saturn. Now, what about the rest of the message they left?"   
"It turns out Haruka and Michiru are working for Sailor Saturn, which means…they must be Sailor Scouts themselves."   
"Let me see that note, Angie." After a careful examination, Ace concluded, "You're right about Haruka and Michiru being Sailor Scouts. How else could they have known about the impending danger?"   
"So, Sailor Saturn's warning is _real_ after all," Angie noted in grave concern. "Ace, what'll we do?"   
"We'll just have to wait…and pray that Amy Mizuno will be able to do her part." 

Back in Japan, Raye was calmly working on her chores when her close friend Chad came by. "Hey, Raye, phone call for you. I think it's Amy."   
"Okay, thanks, Chad. I'll grab it in my room."   
She picked up the telephone. "Hello?"   
"Hi, Raye! Oh, have I got some fantastic news! I'm going to be _Who Wants to Travel the World_ next week! I just hope I can get into the 'Driver's Seat.'"   
Raye then remembered Sailor Saturn's message. _Have faith in her intelligence. If Amy can go all the way, we'll have the much needed chance to go to Electro City and help Mr. Cooper and his friends._ "That's great news, Amy!"   
"And what's really great is this: It's a special show dedicated to children's day. If I can win it all, I can take as many as ten friends to any destination on Earth. I already calculated that I can take you and the others, Darien, Rini, Luna, Artemis, and Diana. I've already invited all of them to come. Of course, the show won't accept cats in the audience."   
"I…can't wait to see you next week."   
Amy noticed her friend's tone did not sound as excited as before. "Raye, are you all right?"   
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I was…just thinking…about the chores here, that's all. I'm really happy for you, Amy."   
"We'll meet at the temple tomorrow so I can give you all the tickets to the show."   
"Oh, um, Amy, have you picked a place you want to go in the case you _do_ win the whole thing?"   
"I haven't decided yet. According to the rules, I have to decide within two weeks after winning where I will take you all. So, I'll see you tomorrow?"   
"You got it, Amy. See you then." When she hung up the phone, Raye thought carefully about Saturn's vision. "Mr. Cooper knows the story, and I bet Angie does, too, with her rapport to him. Whatever happens…Amy must win the whole thing and choose Electro City as the destination." 

**One Week Later** 

Amy Mizuno was in the "Driver's Seat" on the popular game show _Who Wants to Travel the World_. She cruised through 14 straight questions.   
In the audience, Raye had to keep her friend Serena Tsukino from overreacting in the audience. "Stop it, Meatball-Head!" she muttered angrily. "Amy needs to concentrate to get this last question right."   
A little girl who sat next to Raye concurred and then whispered, "Come on, Amy, you can do it." The little girl had a similar hairstyle to Serena's, except her hair was much shorter and completely pink.   
The host of the show said, "Okay, Amy, this is it. Get this question right, and you will win a two-week trip anywhere on Earth. Are you ready?"   
"Yes," she answered, "I'm ready."   
"Very well. For the trip, here is your last question: Which of these books is _not_ a part of Madeleine L'Engle's acclaimed Time Quartet series? _Many Waters_, _A Ring of Endless Light_, _A Swiftly Tilting Planet_, or _A Wind in the Door_?"   
Amy had to think a little about this particular question, but she started thinking aloud. "Okay, the Time Quartet series involves the Murry family. The first one was _A Wrinkle in Time_, then came _A Wind in the Door_, followed by _A Swiftly Tilting Planet_, and finally _Many Waters_. I do remember _A Ring of Endless Light_ involves the Austin family, not the Murry family. Therefore, my answer will be _A Ring of Endless Light_."   
In the audience, the little girl whispered to Raye, "I don't get it. Who's Madeleine what's-her-name?"   
"Madeleine L'Engle is a brilliant author, Rini. I have _A Wrinkle in Time_ if you want to read it sometime. You'll love it."   
"Okay, I'll take you up on that offer."   
The host then asked, "Will that be your ultimate answer?"   
Amy nodded and then said, "Yes, that is my ultimate answer."   
The host started trying to pull a trick on the young woman. "Oh, Amy, Amy, Amy. All I can say is…**_you've won!_**"   
As balloons and confetti started falling all over the stage, Amy's closest friends all ran up on stage to give her a hug.   
"You did it, Amy! You did it!" yelled Rini excitedly.   
As Raye hugged her friend closely, she thought about the vision again. _Well, Sailor Saturn did say to have faith in Amy's intelligence, so she accomplished this part of what we need to do. Now, she has to choose Electro City as the destination for the two-week trip. If she doesn't pick that location, all could be lost…_

This story leads into _**The Magic Force Moon Crystal Reunion**. _Please go back to my name and click on the story to start it. ^_^ 


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